In the past, accidents in the construction industry were accepted as part of the trade. If you worked in excavation or on an elevated structure you knew there was a chance that you could be injured or even die. As technology progressed so did safety equipment and safety procedures. Finely we are at a point where the majority of accidents that happen are completely preventable. Why then are there so many accidents every year where 1000's of work hours are lost and millions if not billions of dollars are paid out in lawsuits and insurance premiums? I believe that answer lies within the realm of ethics. In this essay I will use a detailed true story where a mans personal ethics prevented a huge catastrophe and then I will examine ethics in regards to safety in corporate America.
             In the 1930's daring and creative architects and engineers had begun to depart from what had been accepted as the traditional method of designing and constructing skyscrapers. Innovations in skyscraper design such as lighter materials, increased window area, and cantilevered supports, resulted in taller, lighter, and slimmer buildings. William LeMessurier was one of the country's most distinguished structural engineers when he was asked to act as a consultant to plan and build the Citibank corporate headquarters. LeMessurier had a great deal of experience in designing unique and difficult buildings. This experience would be critical in designing the Citibank building because this building was to be designed on top of a church. The church granted Citibank the use of the air above the church in trade for a new building. This meant that Citibank would have to design their tower on nine-story high stilts in order to provide room for the new church. The church was located at the corner of the building so this meant that these nine-story supports would be located in the center of the building perimeter and not on the corners. At the time this was an...